by Wendy Schoggins
It's fun to watch home improvement shows featuring folks with an eye for design, creating beautiful spaces. But, what's even more fun is doing it yourself -- creating a space like this in a place that you love.
One thing that's always amused me about those home improvement shows is how they spare no expense in remodeling. The other is when the young couple looking to buy introduces themselves as a worm farmer and professional nap-taker, but their budget is 3.2 million dollars. (giggle)
With that, let me (re)introduce you to the community center's gym lobby. Somewhere around 15 years ago, the gym was being used as an event center for big parties, weddings, etc. Then, the event center moved to its current location and Premier Gymnastics moved into the gym. Years passed, and the gym lobby was ready for an update from its yellow walls and worn, brown carpet.
Unlike 'reality' DIY shows, budgets here are limited. But, I don't think that shouldn't limit anything. As chair of the CLACC decorating committee, I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive -- or even better, donated -- building materials. Part of the creative process is finding things on the cheap. Luckily, I have friends in low-budget places.
My sister, Laurie Bigelow, secured free paint from her local recycling center. This also completely aligns with the community center's mission to reuse, reduce and recycle. I used various colors of paint to custom-make the beautiful gray color paint for the walls and trophy case. I found carpet squares on Marketplace and asked for a deal. When I explained that they were for our nonprofit community center, the seller gave them to me for free! Then, I found just the right tile, and Muriel Nelson picked them up since they were sort of near where she lives. I found someone selling interlocking floor mat that was a fraction of the cost of new. Finally, I found some great furniture which was also donated. While this was all inexpensive, it takes a lot of strategic planning to remodel this way. Good thing that's something I love doing!
With all of the materials secured, and the gymnasts on a week break, I set out to remodel the gym lobby. I had to cut the first day short because my husband had a doctor's appointment. Low and behold, he was hospitalized with an appendicitis! He spent the rest of the week in the hospital, and I attempted to fit this big project into the chaos. You may have noticed when I write articles for the newspaper, I typically don't write about myself. But, I thought this was certainly noteworthy! Like my dad (Earl Larson) always says, "it makes for a good story." By the way, he is the one who taught me how to do home improvement. But, more importantly my mom (Pat Larson) taught me to be fearless. That came in really handy for this project.
The job took a few days longer than planned but I love how it turned out. What do you think? Remember, we are always looking for volunteers and we accept donations! The Clear Lake Area Community Center (CLACC) is a nonprofit, so your donations are tax deductible and help make more projects like this a reality.
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